How Helen, a Stay-at-Home Mum, Built a Multi-Million-Pound Travel Business with The Travel Franchise
Helen didn’t set out to build a multi-million-pound travel business. She simply wanted a new purpose once her children had flown the nest. What followed was an extraordinary journey with The Travel Franchise that transformed her life, her confidence and her family’s future.
Published at 04/12/2025 , Reading time: 3 min
When Helen’s youngest left for university in early 2022, she realised it was the right moment to do something just for herself. Despite having no business background or experience in travel, she joined our franchise and quickly found her stride: “It just took off more than I could possibly imagine!” By her third year she’d booked over £2.5 million worth of holidays.
Building success from great service
Helen’s rapid growth came down to one simple thing: looking after people properly. “Once you give someone good service and they’ve been on their holiday, they then tell people and you get a lot of business through referrals and repeat bookers which is great.”
Even her local gym turned into an unexpected stream of new customers. “Someone there books a holiday, they tell someone else, and that just spiralled through the gym.”
A dream life split between the UK and Florida
One of Helen’s goals was to help her family buy a place in Florida, and it wasn’t long before that dream became reality. “We’ve probably been there a total of at least three or four months this year alone… because you can work from anywhere in the world and Wi-Fi is so great, it just works perfectly.”
Working from Florida has become an idyllic routine. She starts early to stay aligned with UK hours, then enjoys long afternoons in the sunshine. Her flexible lifestyle even includes moments like booking a client’s holiday from a locker room at Epcot, a snapshot of just how seamlessly her work fits around her travels.
Becoming the go-to Florida specialist
Over time, Helen has become known for her deep knowledge of Florida beyond the theme parks. With a loyal base of repeat bookers, she’s now planning to expand her team while still keeping that personal touch her clients love.
Training, friendships and the NJT support network
Helen openly credits the support she received early on. “You’ve got a personal Business Development Manager… And the whole backup of Not Just Travel is brilliant.”
As she attended more events, she began building friendships within the community too. She’s also taken full advantage of our free mentorship retreats, including a memorable trip to Mauritius. Her success has led to invitations on exclusive supplier trips, the Maldives with Kuoni was a standout moment, and even sparked extra bookings thanks to the buzz on social media.
Meanwhile, our tools and training continue to shape her growth. “We’ve just recently had a series of webinars every week, on things like Facebook and AI. It’s revolutionised the speed of doing Facebook posts.”
Looking back, Helen couldn’t be prouder of what she’s built. The Travel Franchise has given her a real boost as a person and a business owner. And of course, there’s the Florida home, a milestone that means the world to her family. It’s truly been a win-win for everyone.
